Signal.



H. C. DOLAN.

SIGNAL. v APPLICATION FILED MAIL31|I9IL Patented June 4i 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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H. C. DOLAN.

SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3l. I9l7.

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2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented June 4, 1918.

i citizen oi' the United States of .lil

.exhibitor having a Humm. UF DETRUIT, MCHIGAI.

lpeoii'icaton of Lettere Potent.

Patented @lf une 4l, Stili@ .Application filed Zitieren 81, 191.7. Serial No. 156,793.

To all whom 'it may conceive.'

Be it known that l, Hemer C. Donut, a. America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Sigrnais, of which the following is a specication, reference being had therein to the ec companying drawings.

This invention :relates to signals for automohiles and has special reference to a sign rotary sign adapted to he intermittently actuated by electrical yflevices to display a desired sign.

My invention aims to provide a novel electrically operated mechanism for actuating a rotary sign member, so that the member may he easily, quickly and accurately positioned to display a sign thereon. The mechanism is necessarily compact and of such construction as to withstand jars and 'vibrations to which it is subjected when carried by an automobile or similar vehicle,

and in constructing the exhibitor, l have aiinetl to reduce the nninloer of parts to a minimum and out flown as much as possible on weight, so that the exhibitor can he easily and safely carried on a bracket or other part of an automobile.

The construction of the signal Will loe hereinafter olescrihecl and then claimed, and reference will now he had 'to the drawings,

l Figure l is a front elevation of the signal exhibitor, partly broken away, and partly in section; f llig. is the same;

Fig. 3 is a :front elevation of rotary sign member;

Fig. el is a diagrammatic View illustrating the electrical (ievices and the connections thereof.

The signal exhibitors. ed includes cylindri" asing 1 having a rear Wall 2 anal a Glotz lc iront Wall The front Wall 3 is provided?, Yvith a central opening et for a lens or hulls Y 5 and above the opening fl is a segment .shaped opening 6 closed hy o transparent plate 7.

The rear well 2 is provided with a socket member 8 of a. conventional iorin adapted to receive the bracket of an automobile or similar vehicle, and connected to the rear wall 2 by loolts or tie rooie 9, l0, 11 and 12 are a vertical cross sectional view of a new constructoperated mechanism of parallel plates 13 and 14, constitutingr a framework or housing for the electrically the signal.

Journaled in the plates 13 and 14, eentrally of the casing l., is a pinion shaft l5 .having a pinion lo. 0n the forward end of the pinion shaft 15 is fixed a spieler 17 and suitably attached to said spider is a sign member 18. rlhe sign member 18 is in the form of a disk having a central opening 19 and on the outer side of said meinber are placed suitable signs, for instance the words Safety first and. Stop together with arrows which may be formed by cutting arrow shaped openings in the sign member. The sign member 18 may be of translucent materiel with the arrows snol the characters of the words transparent or the sign member may loe of opaque material with the characters of the Words cut out, so that rays of light may project therethrough. ln either instance, there is an incandescent lamp 20 in alinement with the casing open* ing 6 and said lamp is preferably carried by the rear Wall of the casing.

Meshing with the pinion 15 of the shaft lo is a sector gear 2l pivotecl upon a shaft 22 connecting' the plates 13 and le. The sector gear 2l has a crank portion loosely connected by a pin Q3 to a bell crank 2% pivoted on a rod or shaft 25 connectin the plates 12,3 and 14 and the movement o said. bell crank in one direction is limited by the bolt or tic rod 9. Pivotally connected to the bell crank :24 is a reciprocalole rod 26 slidahle in a .guide 27 connecting the plates 13 and le. nother reciprocable rofl 28 is slidahle in the guide 27 and this rod is piv otally connected, as at 29 to an arm 30 pivoted on a rod or shaft 3l connecting the plates 13 and 14. 'l`he upper enel of the :i1-1n 30 is slotted, as at 3:2, to provide clean ance for the reci procable rod 26 and the bell crank 2l and the upper edge of said bell crank has stepped portions 33, 34 and These stepped portions of the hell crank are adapted to be engaged by the arm actuated hy the reciprocable rod Q8 to control the movement of' the bell crank 24, the sector gear the shaft 15. and the rotary member 18 by a reciprocable movement ci the rod loth ot the rods 26 and 28 arc provided with collars 36 and encircling said rods between the collars 36 and the guides 2T arecoiled compression springs 37,

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lll'lli :intl hell eisnlt engaging the stepped portion 33 oit corti or sign iii switcl'i i? one soi cm dell these springs holding; the ieeiprocohle iod in noi'inel position, that is, with the sign nieinben l@ displaying the sign Safety i'irst et the opening 6 of the exhibitor casing.

Be .weon the pistes 'itl :incl lei: is on electroniegnet 38 und piiotetl on the holt oi" connecting fori i@ en immature ioisaid. electro-nn t, .,ll'ie plete i3 hos e, stop fill tot the sin'ietuie the stop n'iointeining the armature in proximity to the pole piece of the eleetroniognet, and the upper endl oit' the armature is slotted to provide eleononce for the rods Salo ond :incl is adopted to engage o colieif -itl fixed on the fool :26,

.snothefiioit or tie iocl i2 connects the pistes 1 3 enel 1li unil supports the pivotetl, mniotui'e lf3 'foi' :in eleetroonegnet Lift. The oi'nmtuie slotted to provide clearance for the frode enti 28 e, Atl seid armature is adopted to engage collins on the recio; rocehie mais.

Another elettio-inegnet Il@ is mounted; hetween the platee 13 enti ifi-ond this electromoggnet hos on ernietuio It? pivotefl on the holt or i'oigl li. '.lhc ein'niture #5t-2' is slotted to piovide clearance for the io-tls G onfl 28 ond. soliti ntn'izituie .is iuieptotl 'to engage the eoliens 36 oi" seid. Pools )The plate 'i3 has stops l L eirinetnres 4:3 sind li i.' et ive-ly.

The eylincli'ieal well oi the erihi ino" has on opening;- ll clevere v' pnieiit plete i anni this ois :ton the hitoi: eoso tiniespercmits o e license exhibitor to the elec-tri speetiifely, enel no to l? will he noted that i vo "negne gi'onntied on the ekiihitor cos thereof, oleo the incemlescent len 53.0, se, :i lmp heine; connected Toy e, wire 5l? to o, switoh by o wire titl to n, snitolil-esoimse of eieeti'i energy, het teries 39u ,The hetteiies ifi :ii'e conoci to the eiihii'iitor cosine; oi' metullie ports thereof also to thieepoint switch tl@ coin tiolliifipg the enei'igisine of 'the electro-mii@ nets oif the signal.

The circuit established in' connection with the electro-meg ott-roots the ernietoie enti. causes 1l :monture to engin- 5e the Geller and miiit the roti 26 against the noties. oi the spring;` i? ossocioizetl with seid rod. "ihe hell emol: is moved to shift the sector gesl.' iii enti imrtizilly rotate the pinion shectt l5 :ind this shaft lii'ngi's the sign. member 'iti into position to display the Wort Stop. 'lfl'ie inoveinent olf the .sign niezniiei' 18, pinion shofi, iii, sector geen 2i, @fi olie limited 'oy the :i1-,oi 30 omni; 3213:.

ieeseoo stepped portion St o the hell crank and l.,emiectly define the position of they sign member 18.

The operation o' the electro-magnet 46, armature 47 and rods 25 and Q8 is somewhat similar to that ot the electrwmagnet 44 and the operation just described with the exception that the sign member 18 is rotated suficienti-y to correctly position :in arrow at the display opening o to inclicetediiection ot' travel to the right.

in all the operations, which ore controlled by the switch 60, the springs 3i are adapted to restore the mechanism to normal position :titer each operation.

The switch 5i' permits et' the incendies cent lomp 2O being: used at night and the spielen supporting' the sign member 18 Will allow rays oi light to be cast through the bullseye or said hulls-eye suiliciently illuminated to indicate (linger end serve as e teil light for :in automobile.

lt is thought that the operation and utility ot the signal has .heen suliiciently described es to he understood, and While in the drawings these is illustrated a, prefei'ed embodiment of my invention, it is to loo fui'theixnoie understood that the struetuiel elements ore susceptible to such variations end modifications es tell Within the scopo le appended claims.

Al'lhot. l claim is i. ln o signal, n casing having e. display,

opening, o rotary sign member in. seid easino; odepteil to display e sign et said dis ploy opening, gearing atlante(y to move said sign ineinhei', :i recipiocehle roei adopted to zietuate seid gearing, electrical devices 'oflegiitd for moving snicl roti predetermined to position said sign member to u A, iiiy e s i, anni ineens actuated by seid devices :uit-,pied to define the position of esiti inzit-ity gn nieniiieiz.

il. lo a, signal, e casini; havingo display opening', u. i'otory sign member in said Casing iid-pied 'to he iniiverl to display e sign the opening; of seid causing, geiwing adapteei to move seid sign nicinhei', independent electrical devices in siiiol casing end adopted to b energized to operate sold gearing', and

ed to nieve sign nienhei, en electrilll] ' said "gearing:

cally actuated reciprocable rod for operatin ingadapted to display a sign at said dis- 20 said gearing, and an electrically operate play opening, gearingadaptedto move said reciprocable' rod for controlling and reb sign member, a bell crank adapted to operlating the movement of saidsign member y ate said gearing, a rod connected to Said e y bell crank, electro-magnets insaid casing, 4. In 'a signal, a casing having a display armatures actuated by the energizing of Saad 25 opening, a rotary sign member 1n said caselectro-magnets adapted for moving ing adapted to display a sign at said dis- 'fod predetermined distances, and means acp lay opening, 'gearing adapted-to move said tuated by sald armatures and including a sign member, a bell crank adapted to actu# pivoted arm in connection with said bell ate said Vgearing, an electrically actuated crankadapted to regulate the movement of a0 -recprocablerod adapted for 'moving said said sign member,

bell crank, and means on said rod adapted In testimony whereof I alx my signaturel to restore said sign member to normal poin the presence of two Witnesses. sition, and means actuated 1n synchronism with said ,rod for controlling the' movement 4 u HALLEY C DULAN" of said sign member; Witn:

.5. In a signal, a casing having a display l *l H im H. Emma,

opening, a rotarysign member in said cas- ANNA Donn. i 

